Jadgzeit: I think it is inevitable that we may see some fee increase for pistol permits and the like. I don't like it and will fight it but I think just the same we will probably see it.
The concern I have is that some librul sob will try a tax or a fee, similar to the increase in tobacco fees/costs, that will attempt to fiscally penalize us for the criminal ills of society, and opine that since we want guns, our fees/taxes should pay for the increased costs of health care caused by guns.
It really bothers me is that the two lowest, slimiest, most liberal communists in the US Senate come right from NY. How on earth they managed to get elected is beyond me but one thing is for sure, they are commies from the start and must be controlled. I think the way to do that is through an increased showing of sportsmen, activities so related, and the continued and on-going lambasting of anyone who proposes fees, fee increases or taxes on anything sports related. Putting criminals back to work sweeping the streets will save more money than increased gun fees will garner, and we would then place the appropriate social stigmas where they belong, on the guilty criminal, not the innocent law-abiding citizen.
For example in Auburn, NY this past weekend there was a wonderful sporting event - the Annual Auburn Crow Shoot. 208 hunters, with some from as far away as Arizona and Kentucky, busted over 1,000 crows out of the crow population of about 25K. I would gladly pay a dollar for each crow I could bust, if I could shoot all weekend like that. I feel that we could put that $ toward our own preparatory defenses by funding and hosting a greater number of similar events. A few pennies from each $ should go to reducing the gun regulatory or limitating efforts of the anti-gun elected and some of the $ to the pro-gun elected. I think we should try to establish many more annual or bi-annual hunts or shoots to support our elected pro-gun defenders. Nothing talks like the almight dollar and sportsmens groups donate quite a bit. Also, nothing talks like the press, and it sure doesn't cost much to get a half page byline to run for a couple fo days.
I'm willing to bet that a bit of a cost to benefit analysis of the amount of $ collected by any proposed fee hikes would be grossly off-set (that is, there would be more $ to contribute) by hosting events like the Auburn Crow Shoot.
Ya know, we've tried the Eddie Eagle approach, we've caved in at every danged turn, we've accepted limitations and regulations we've seen forced down our dang throats and those jerks just keep calling for more. We've seen our own efforts sabotaged by those of our membership who don't like so and so, or who don't think the regulations will ever apply to them, or who don't shoot this or who don't shoot that or who don't see the obvious concern in an issue the rest of us do.
I think it is high time that we just say - hay you jerks (including our own disparate), we're going to do this, it is legal and we have fun doing it and we use the money for good causes, ours! The heck with contributing to this or that - the 'thises or thats' get lots more $ from other sources than we can give them and it looks like we are trying to suck up. Screw that! We need more crow shoots, carp shoots, more Mexican Duck Shoots (no ducks involved), and alot more public exposure - geez, we hide everything we do so nobody will get upset with us. That thinking is just plain wrong. We skulk around every darn time someone says 'Oh, you're going out to kill an innocent deer'. We should say 'Yes, I'm going to kill it, field dress it, bring it home, perpare it for consumption, and eat it. I fully intend to reduce the concern about Chronic Wasting Disease by hunting and taking all I can all I can legally take. What I do not eat for myself I will donate to food pantries. I prefer not to eat commercially butchered meats, as you do, I do not patronize MacGaggies or Burger Krap, and I contribute more to the needy than you do, so blow off'.
You can't go head to head with zealots because they refuse to listen and refuse to accept another's point of view. So why waste our time. We can easily outdo them and should just enjoy what we wish and do so in greater public view. Protestors will always protest, so who cares. We should counter protest with our enjoyable activities and let them be the ones to skulk away or be the ones not served at the coffee counter.
Me, I'm planning on going to the next Annual Auburn Crow Shoot, am planning to do a lot more hunting and shooting this year and would hope to all get out that I see a lot of members from this forum and many others at those events.
Greybeard used to have the annual blackpowder shoots down south but I don't know if he still has them or not, but we should do something like that here, and make a lot of public noise about it. I think we all should support activities like the Auburn Crow Shoot, just flood $ and shooters right into Auburn, lay out our cash that's going to the right causes, shoot up all the old shotgun shells we have been hoarding for all these years, bust up tons of crows and reduce the state's concerns about the spread of West Nile disease. I think we should publicly, and loudly, invite any of the elected who would like to participate, and very loudly and publicly not invite those who would detract from our cause. Imagine how easy it might be to put an anti-gun politician on the defensive by simply excluding them from an event that is otherwise public, and keeping them there...... Now, that would be worth a dollar a crow.
And this is just Mikey.
